Storyteller

Asheville, NC (Buncombe County)

Internationally recognized storyteller Connie Regan-Blake has lived in Asheville for over thirty years. A native of Alabama, Regan-Blake began telling stories professionally as a young woman living in Chattanooga. After honing her skills performing for local children, she teamed up with her cousin Barbara Freeman to form a storytelling duo in 1975. Calling themselves the Folktellers, they left their jobs and began touring the country in Freeman's pickup truck. The two women became popular performers at many festivals and other venues across the country.

Storyteller

Boone, NC (Watauga County)

"I've always been interested in stories," recalls Doyle Pace. "My uncles and father told stories. They didn't tell Jack Tales, but they always had some sort of anecdote to make their point." Doyle's interest in stories and folklore eventually led him to the mountains of Western North Carolina. Since his first trip to Watauga County in 1958, he made frequent extended trips to the area. He bought a house there in 1970, and he has made the area his permanent home since 2005.

Potter

Cherokee, NC (Qualla Boundary)

Bernadine George grew up around traditional pottery making. She observed her mother, a potter, at work, and absorbed some of her instincts and techniques by observation. When, as a young adult, she decided to take up pottery herself, it was her sister-in-law who taught her to create and fire pinch pots.

George developed her pottery skills over the years, in the spare moments she could grab while working and raising a family. She became a highly accomplished potter, well respected in the community of traditional Cherokee artists.